A substrate processing system includes a first substrate processing chamber, a first substrate transfer chamber connected to the first substrate processing chamber, a second substrate processing chamber, and a second substrate transfer chamber connected to the second substrate processing chamber. The substrate processing system further includes a buffer chamber connected between the first substrate transfer chamber and the second substrate transfer chamber, the buffer chamber having at least one substrate holder. At least a part of the buffer chamber and at least one of the first substrate transfer chamber or the second substrate transfer chamber are vertically overlapped with each other.

A method for providing a substrate coating comprises transferring a substrate to an enclosed ink jet printing system; printing organic material in a deposition region of the substrate using the enclosed ink jet printing system, the deposition region comprising at least a portion of an active region of a light-emitting device on the substrate; loading the substrate with the organic material deposited thereon to an enclosed curing module; supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module, the supporting the substrate comprising floating the substrate on a gas cushion established by a floatation support apparatus; and while supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module, curing the organic material deposited on the substrate to form an organic film layer.

A system for maintaining a device in a semiconductor manufacturing environment that includes a controller configured to determine a distance travelled by the device within the semiconductor manufacturing environment, where the device has a feature that selectively engages a carrier configured to carry a semiconductor wafer such that the device moves the semiconductor wafer to different processing stations within the semiconductor manufacturing environment. The system also includes an inspection component configured to inspect the device responsive to the distance traveled by the device exceeding a distance threshold, a repair component configured to repair the device responsive to a repair indication from at least one of the controller or the inspection component, and a cleaning component configured to clean the device responsive to a clean indication from at least one of the controller or the inspection component.

A pumping line arrangement includes a chamber connecting line which is fluidly connectable to a process chamber that forms part of a semiconductor fabrication tool. The pumping line arrangement also includes a valve module which is fluidly connected to the chamber connecting line. The valve module splits the chamber connecting line into respective first and second pumping lines. The first pumping line is intended to carry a first process flow and the second pumping line is intended to carry a second process flow which is incompatible with the first process flow. At least one of the first pumping line or the second pumping line includes fluidly connected therewithin a pre-abatement module that is configured to remove one or more incompatible constituents from the process flow intended to be carried by the other pumping line.

The invention belongs to a related field of electronic manufacturing technology, and particularly relates to a conformal manufacturing device and a method for a complex curved-surface electronic system, the system includes a support platform and a six-degree-of-freedom spherical motor linkage platform, a 3D measurement module, a laser lift-off module, a curved-surface transfer printing module and a conformal jet printing module respectively mounted on the support platform and independently controllable, and specific structures and work modes of these key components are improved. The invention further discloses a corresponding manufacturing method. Through the invention, multiple process flows required in conformal manufacturing process of the complex curved-surface electronic system are effectively integrated into an integrated device, so as to realize conformal hybrid manufacturing of the rigid/flexible curved-surface electronic system with arbitrary area, and the invention has advantages of high precision, high efficiency and high automation, which greatly broadens the application scope of the curved-surface electronic manufacturing technology.

Methods and systems for input/output (IO) handling during an update process for a manufacturing system controller are provided. First notifications are transmitted by an IO driver of a system controller between components of a process chamber and a substrate process IO handler of the system controller. The substrate process IO handler executes substrate process control instructions corresponding to a process recipe. The first notifications correspond to operations associated with substrate process control instructions. A determination is made that substrate process control instructions are to be updated. A detection is made that the substrate process is terminated. Second notifications are transmitted between the components of the process chamber and a system IO handler. The system update IO handler executes system update control instructions including commands configured to cause the components of the process chamber to maintain an environment of the process chamber at a target condition while the substrate process control instructions are updated.

A semiconductor fabrication scheduling method includes creating a load scheduling data schema including facility data of product lots to be dispatched to a plurality of workstations; generating a load schedule profile using a load-balancing model and based on the load scheduling data schema, wherein the load-balancing model includes one or more objective functions and there is at least one weight factor in an objective function; generating a current load schedule based on the load schedule profile; dispatching the product lots to the plurality of workstations using the current load schedule to complete fabrication of the product lots; obtaining a set of current key performance indicators (KPIs) of the completed fabrication of the product lots; and automatically adjusting the weight factors of the objective functions of the load-balancing model based on the current KPIs using a big-data architecture to generate a next load schedule for next cycle of fabrication.

A processing system is provided, including a vacuum enclosure having a plurality of process windows and a continuous track positioned therein; a plurality of processing chambers attached sidewalls of the vacuum enclosures, each processing chamber about one of the process windows; a loadlock attached at one end of the vacuum enclosure and having a loading track positioned therein; at least one gate valve separating the loadlock from the vacuum enclosure; a plurality of substrate carriers configured to travel on the continuous track and the loading track; at least one track exchanger positioned within the vacuum enclosure, the track exchangers movable between a first position, wherein substrate carriers are made to continuously move on the continuous track, and a second position wherein the substrate carriers are made to transfer between the continuous track and the loading track.

A plasma processing system includes processing modules, a transfer device connected to the processing modules, and a control unit for controlling an oxygen partial pressure and a water vapor partial pressure in the transfer device. The control unit controls the oxygen partial pressure and the water vapor partial pressure in the transfer device to 127 Pa or less and 24.1 Pa or less, respectively. The processing modules include a first processing module for performing etching on the target object, a second processing module for performing surface treatment on the target object, and a third processing module for performing a deposition process on the target object. The second processing module performs the surface treatment using hydrogen radicals generated by a high frequency antenna. The high frequency antenna resonates at one half of a wavelength of a signal supplied from a high frequency power supply used in the processing system.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate positioned on a substrate support assembly are provided. For example, a substrate support assembly includes an electrostatic chuck having one or more chucking electrodes embedded therein for chucking a substrate to a substrate support surface of the electrostatic chuck; an edge ring disposed on the electrostatic chuck and surrounding the substrate support strike; two or more radio frequency (RF) power sources coupled to the edge ring and at least one of a baseplate disposed beneath the electrostatic chuck or an electrode disposed in the electrostatic chuck; a matching network coupling the edge ring to the two or more RF power sources; and an RF circuit coupling the edge ring to the two or more RF power sources, the RF circuit configured to simultaneously tune at least one of an RF amplitude or an RF phase of respective signals of the two or more RF power sources.